Chords
Chord inversions: smooth movements
Rearranging the notes of a chord so your hands don’t have to jump.
3 min read
A C major chord is C, E, and G. But you do not always have to play C at the bottom. By shifting notes up or down an octave, you get different "inversions" of the exact same chord.
The three positions of C major
- Root position: C - E - G (C at the bottom)
- First inversion: E - G - C (E at the bottom)
- Second inversion: G - C - E (G at the bottom)
Loading piano sounds…
ZC3
XD3
CE3
VF3
BG3
NA3
MB3
AC4
SD4
DE4
FF4
GG4
HA4
JB4
KC5
LD5
;E5
'F5
]G5
A5
B5
C6
Q
2
4
5
6
W
E
T
Y
U
O
P
Root position: C4 - E4 - G4
Loading piano sounds…
ZC3
XD3
CE3
VF3
BG3
NA3
MB3
AC4
SD4
DE4
FF4
GG4
HA4
JB4
KC5
LD5
;E5
'F5
]G5
A5
B5
C6
Q
2
4
5
6
W
E
T
Y
U
O
P
First inversion: E4 - G4 - C5 — same chord, different shape.
Inversions let you transition between chords with minimal hand movement. Moving from C (C-E-G) to F (C-F-A) only requires moving two fingers while keeping C in place.
Tip: Notice how much smoother chord progressions sound when your hand stays in one comfortable zone.
Practise chord progressions →